Blood donation stalled

On March 26, 19-year-old Iqbal Hossain (not his real name), a volunteer of a blood donation organisation, was out to donate blood to an anemia patient at Ibn Sina Hospital of Sylhet.

Although the roads were deserted, the teenager from Jaintapur felt a sense of duty, especially because the rarity of his A-negative type blood. However, a police personnel suddenly approached him and started beating him up for stepping out into the streets, without even hearing him out.

"The police didn't pay heed to him, even after he mentioned what he was out for. Instead, another officer joined in and started baton-charging him. Shaken, my friend ran from the scene and came back home instead of going to the hospital," said Sabbir Hossain, Iqbal's friend and fellow volunteer.

After Iqbal's story was posted on an online blood donation platform's group, others came come forward expressing fear of similar incidents happening to them, especially after coming across some videos that have gone viral on social media.

Md Nazrul Islam, who has donated blood and platelet over 80 times, said he couldn't go to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) to donate platelet to a cancer patient who was badly in need of it on Sunday.

"I had to refuse because I was afraid that I would not get any scope to tell police that I'm out for a noble cause. Sometimes, they don't wait to hear any explanation," he said.

According to Afsana Nazneen Priya, a call centre agent of Roktodaner Opekkhay Bangladesh, the organisation got 19 blood requests from different critical patients over Saturday and Sunday. However, they could only serve eight patients as most donors were unwilling to go out during the lockdown.

Along with this panic, another issue that contributes to this is the lack of transportation during the shutdown.

"Since we work from home, we cannot ensure transport facilities for our donors. It is also difficult for patients' attendants to ensure transportation for donors," she said.

"Besides, the person who will donate blood shouldn't walk or run before or after donating blood. They must be well rested," she added.

Md Rubel Miah, a glass factory worker of Tangail, was overcome with anxiety when he was failing to manage a platelet donor at the DMCH for his 11-year-old brother suffering from kidney disease.

Rubel isn't the most well-connected person in this city, yet he contacted a number of donors with the help of a blood donation organisation. However, everyone turned him down due to the ongoing situation.

Md Belayet Rahman Aslam, a donor who donated even during the lockdown, said he had to face a lot of hassle while coming to DMCH from Mirpur 12.  

"Since there was no public transport, I walked till Kazipara and found a motorbiker, and requested him to take me to DMCH. The biker was also in fear of getting beaten up by the police, but he agreed when I told him my case," Belayet said.

Rakhi Biswas, hailing from Sunamganj, initially struggled to find a donor for her husband Provangshu Das, who is suffering from severe rectal bleeding. She called some 25 donors who matched the blood type, but every one of them denied the journey to Mount Adora Hospital of Sylhet, fearing police and the army. Rakhi, alone in the city with her sick husband, eventually found a donor with help from the hospital, but only after going through a lot of trouble. Had it not been for the hospital's help, the couple's future could've been hanging in the balance, she said.